#treegate

[nova-reaper-universe]

This tree law thing is very amusing to me because how did Universal expect to get away with cutting these trees without a proper permit and not look terrible because I think we all should agree that 1. don’t cut trees on public property you don’t own and 2. don’t put your employees in danger just because you don’t like paying them and 3. don’t cut trees during the summer unless they are sick and/or about to die.

#tree law #treegate #i stand with the wga

[sixstringphonic]

Treegate Update: No Permit Was Pulled To Trim Ficus Trees Outside of Universal’s Gate 8, Says City Controller

(7/19/23, Deadline)

UPDATED: LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia revealed in a tweet Wednesday that no permit was pulled to trim the now-infamous Ficus trees outside of Universal’s Gate 8.

He added in a thread that “The City of LA’s Urban Forestry Division (UFD) will coordinate w/ StreetsLA’s Investigation & Enforcement Division (IED) to confirm if this case warrants the issuance of an administrative citation or hearing. If issued, the administrative citation fee starts at $250.”

Mejia had previously tweeted that the trees — which had provided shade for picketers during the ongoing strike before they were pruned over the weekend — are LA City managed street trees.

After members of the WGA discovered the thinned-out trees and made a stink via social media, the studio provided tents for additional shade.

PREVIOUSLY:  Treegate just became a thing.

City Controller Kenneth Mejia has vowed to look into the newly pruned ficus trees outside of Universal’s Gate 8, after picketers drew attention to their thinned branches while marching in 90-degree-plus heat. Pine trees on the opposite side of Barham weren’t touched, and neither were a row of pepper trees behind the Universal fence near the production gate.

In a series of Tweets Tuesday, Mejia said his office is investigating what happened to the Ficuses on Barham Boulevard, which he said are “LA City managed street trees.” WGA picketers drew attention to their thinned out ranks on Monday. Universal owned up to trimming them but said in a statement it was done for “safety reasons” though it “has created unintended challenges for demonstrators, that was not our intention.”

“Trees are essential to providing Angelenos with significant environmental and public health benefits, especially during a heatwave,” Mejia said in a tweet. “Public Works’ Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA) is responsible for maintaining the City’s 700,000+ trees in the public right-of-way.”

He went on to say in a thread that “code enforcement for street trees (including the pruning or removal of trees without a permit) is the responsibility of the StreetsLA Investigation and Enforcement Division. Violations can result in code enforcement citations.”

Separately, the fight over the studio’s construction on Lankershim Boulevard and its impact on the ongoing strike just got even bigger: The WGA and SAG-AFTRA today filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board over the lack of safe pathways available for union members to picket.

“Within the past six months, [NBCUniversal Media] has interfered with, coerced, and restrained employees in the exercise of their rights under Section 7 of the [National Labor Relations] Act,” the Writers Guild of America, West, said in its filing (read it here).

Said interference includes but is not limited to “interfering with lawful picketing activity by designating as picketing locations areas where the public sidewalks have been covered up with construction fencing, forcing picketers to patrol in busy streets with significant car traffic where two picketers have already been struck by a car and by refusing to provide K-rail barriers to establish pedestrian walkways for picketers to use after Los Angeles Police Department advised the employer weeks ago in the interest of public safety to do so.”

SAG-AFTRA’s complaint reads in part: “On or around Thursday, July 13, 2023, the employer, through its agents and managers, instructed SAG-AFTRA to send its members to picket at the unsafe crowded location, exacerbating the dire public safety situation to interfere with striking members’ right to engage in the protected, concerted activity of picketing and patrolling outside the employer’s premises during a lawful strike.” Read the full filing here.

In response, an NBCUniversal spokesperson released this statement today: “We are aware of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA complaints. We strongly believe that the company has fulfilled our legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and we will cooperate with respect to any inquiries by the National Labor Relations Board on this issue. While we understand the timing of our multi-year construction project has created challenges for demonstrators, we continue to work with public agencies to increase access. We support the unions’ rights to demonstrate safely.”

The WGAW filing also cited “the egregious and flagrant nature of the employer’s illegal conduct and the irreparable harm, including the threat of bodily harm, caused by the above-mentioned violations of the Act.”

#treegate #TREE LAW #WGA strike 2023 #SAG-AFTRA strike 2023 #support the WGA #support SAG-AFTRA #support the unions #NBCUniversal #Universal Pictures #these fuckers #support labor #labor law #moustache twirling villainy #about as smart too

[nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius]

Treegate makes me so stupidly happy you don't get it

#it's fucking hilarious #taken down by trees hell yeah #tree law #treegate #wga strike #wga strong

[macmanx]

About 20 members of the Writers Guild of America had been picketing outside Gate 8 at the corner of Barham Boulevard and Forest Lawn Drive, partially protected from the sun by some bushy trees along the sidewalk, leaving some to wonder if the studio giant trimmed the trees on purpose. Some people on social media had begun referring to the incident as "Treegate."

“Our Office is investigating the tree trimming that occurred outside Universal Studios where workers, writers, and actors are exercising their right to picket,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia wrote in a thread on Twitter, noting that the trees in question are owned by the city and that any code violation could result in citations.

"Trees are essential to providing Angelenos with significant environmental and public health benefits, especially during a heatwave," Mejia wrote.

In a statement, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works said it did not "issue any tree trimming permits for 3801 Barham Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90068."

#treegate #tree law #universal pictures #nbcuniversal #wga strike #sag-aftra strike #solidarity forever

[in-sufficientdata]

r/HobbyDrama/ - Treegate 2014: the drama that kept on giving

dwrp is reminiscing about this over on plurk and i thought the masses of tumblr should know that this happened because it was glorious

some of the best responses, as highlighted in the discussion plurk:

stephen colbert

ruby rhod

pope francis

the lorax

vanilla ice

the whomping willow

chris hanson

go forth and enjoy

#mine #reddit #r/hobbydrama #dwrp #dreamwidth #dreamwidth rp #treegate #reminiscing #memories

[fadinglake]

[Text in image: "LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who’s become quite the active Twitter user lately, announced Friday that StreetsLA will issue a citation in the amount of $250 for cutting back the trees that once provided shade to sweaty WGA picketers. It’s definitely not a bank-breaker — Universal probably paid way more to pop those last-minute white tents on the picket line as a way to make up for the brouhaha — but it’s something, we guess." The text reading "but it's something, we guess" at the end has been highlighted for emphasis.]

This is not something. This is absolutely fucking nothing.

This is why the conversation needs to always be about the fucking labor and not stupid little fines by a city that will not lift another single finger to help the strike or the workers.

#wga strike #treegate #labor politics

[magic-of-camelot]

Different gates, different dimensions.

Is gategate already a thing? I dunno, so imma write about it anyway. I know that there is already speculation that Henry was not sent to the Upside Down, and I was rewatching season 1 when I noticed something, and then I noticed some more things and I have some comments...

First, let's look at the room the gate was opened in season 1:

As we know, this is when the gate was opened to the Upside Down. However, this is not the same room we see in Eleven's flashbacks in season 4, when she sent Henry through a gate into another dimension:

You could argue that they revamped the room after the massacre since they only had one kid now and don't need the big rainbow room. But the rooms are WAY too different from the size, to the shape, to the ceiling height, to the door placements.

Even the hallways leading up to both of these rooms are completely different:

Season 1 (above) ; Season 4 (below).

My point is different room = different gate = different dimension. Henry was not sent to the Upside Down.

I suspect Henry ended up in the Upside Down because Will took him there accidentally when Henry ooga booga'd him in 1x01. And, as Will likely has powers, he accidentally took them both into the Upside Down (cue the Upside Down is Will's mind theory). Henry is still able to access his dimension through his mind, but his physical body is stuck in the Upside Down.

Something else I want to address is the small gate in the tree that Nancy and Jonathan find in the woods.

I don't think this gate itself holds much significance, but I think I know how it ended up there. When El made contact with the demogorgan, the creature was doing….. something…. it's pretty hard to see because the demogorgan is covering whatever it's doing. But I think that whatever it was touching became the tree gate when Eleven made that physical connection. It was only a small gate, so it probably closed with the big gate at the end of season 2 since they were created at the same time - and everything is connected.

Or maybe it's still open and the gang use it to sneak into the Upside Down in S5...

#stranger things #stranger things s1 #stranger things 4 #treegate #gategate #st theory #stranger things theory #will byers #eleven hopper #jane hopper #stranger things eleven #dr brenner #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #demogorgan #st demogorgan #stranger things gates #rainbow room #hawkins lab #dimensions #eleven #henry creel #vecna #upside down #the upside down

[savorypink]

treegate pt 2 where alex comes over so they can talk the situation n they just end up fucking 😭

as alex pulls the chair across from you, you fiddle with the hem of your skirt with clammy thumbs. you haven't seen each other since the party, a memory you try to scrub from your brain as you sit across from him. unfortunately for both of you, the memory thrives in photographs. magazines, blogs, and newspapers keep the pictures of you at your most vulnerable circulating. you made it out of bed by the skin of your teeth.

alex cleans up nicely, his hair looking neater than the last time you saw him. he smiles at you apologetically, twiddling with his thumbs as he tries to figure out what to say. you won't admit it, but your heart sympathizes with him, and his girlfriend especially. still, whenever you remember those unsavory things said about you following the release of the pictures, your anger toward him begins to boil. it's funny. you're just as complicit as he is.

"bling," alex begins, "i'm so sorry about...everything. there's probably nothing for us going forward, so since we might not see each other again, i wanted to make sure we're...good. at the very least."

you let out a long huff through your nose. "we're good."

"great." he smiles, wiping the sweat off his hands onto his jeans. his eyes scan the small cafe before settling on you again. "do you want anything? coffee? tea?"

you rummage your purse for your compact, opening the mirror and reapply your lip gloss as you avoid his gaze. "no, i'm good. how's your girlfriend?"

"oh, she's gone. she wants nothin' to do with me." he chuckles dryly.

"good," you say, closing your compact. "it's what you deserve."

you two sit silently for a moment, rather uncomfortably, afraid to look at one another in the eyes. you break the silence with your chair, putting your purse on your shoulder as you stand. before you say goodbye to alex, his hand finds your wrist.

"do you think...maybe we could, y'know, just one more time?"

you draw your arm back quickly, heading toward the door. "go to hell, alex."

"wait, wait, wait." He rises from his chair to stop you, his large hands cupping your waist gently. "we need...closure. we had good sex, yeah? we can end on a better note than this, don't you think?"

you look down at the hands on your body, and alex draws them away quickly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"sorry," he mutters, studying the floor. "look, um, i don't want this to be how i remember you, bling."

you'll admit it, you weren't kind to him. you're upset right now, but how you treated him will leave a sour taste in your mouth once the angry fog clears. that very angry fog can be cleared by alex, though. as crazy as it sounds, you could let out some much-needed steam.

"i'm going to the bathroom," you say, turning your heel back into the cafe. "wait three minutes, then follow me inside."

with your back turned you miss the evergrowing smile on alex's face at your orders. be thankful; you would've smacked him had you seen it.

-

his lips crash onto yours with fervor, almost slamming your head into the wall of the bathroom stall with his force. his tongue scavenges your mouth for anything he didn't taste from the first time he kissed you, shamelessly growling in your mouth as he grinds against your thigh. alex raises your skirt to remove your panties, letting the lace garment fall at your ankles.

he breaks the kiss to plant kisses along your neck, slipping two fingers into your wet core. you bite down on your lower lip hard enough to draw blood, shoving your hands in alex's hair, tugging and pulling.

"you're wetter than the first time," he chuckles, withdrawing his fingers before shoving the digits into your mouth. "i bet you missed me, yeah?"

you nod as you suck on his fingers, but only to shut him up. you can't afford to get caught again. to speed things up, your hands find his belt, quickly unbuckling it along with the button of his jeans. he removes his fingers from your mouth before plunging them back inside you, pumping them in and out of your aching heat.

"eager?" he grins, watching his fingers move in and out of you. "i know. 'm gonna fuck you better than last time. make you feel really good."

once alex removes his fingers, he spins you around to face the stall wall. he dives into you swiftly and deliciously, tightly gripping your hips as he begins thrusting into your cunt. once more, you bite back a moan as his movements continue, keeping your eyes on the tile underneath your trembling feet.

you see a set of ankles through the bottom of the stall door, and your ears pick up the soft sound of one of the sinks running. your heart quickens in pace as you try to keep quiet, hoping the passerby doesn't notice the two extra sets of legs in the stall behind them. you mentally rejoice when they make it to the paper towel dispenser, but your happiness ends when alex's next thrust nearly wobbles you off your feet from mere force, causing the stall walls to jolt.

the ankles outside inch closer to your door, briefly observing from the stall from the other side as you spew expletives in your head. you figured alex may be too into it to warn him, his cock twitching as it dwells deeper into you, but the passerby isn't stupid; they know what's happening. thankfully, the passerby leaves, and your heart returns to a steady rhythm once they leave. you go back to focusing on your own pleasure, finally allowing yourself to moan, toying with your clit as his cock massages your walls.

"we should do this again sometime," alex chuckles. "i know i said we might not see each other again, but—fuck, bling," he hisses. "i'd do anything to see you again."

your fingers move faster on your clit as you feel your orgasm getting closer, the familiar knot in your stomach beginning to loosen. you could see alex again, maybe when you're less angry, and the both of you aren't in public. before your walls can flutter around him in orgasmic bliss, a firm knock rocks the stall door. alex freezes, and so do you, turning your head away from the door in embarrassment.

"only one person in a stall! i need you two to come out. now!"

at least there isn't a camera.

#mickey mail #treegate tag #i made bling kind of cold 😭 #i’m sorry i can’t feel bad for a cheater! #(even though i helped him cheat) #swtnr: blurbs

[zara2148]

Man, just the more comes out about Universal's Treegate, the more I hold back cackles. Now birds and their protections may be brought into this...

I know some people are saying "It's a massive studio, they can afford the fine :(" or even suggesting this was a calculated risk to break the strike...

But counterpoint, I think some people at Universal are going to be PISSED to realize they may have spent a small movie budget as some tentative calculations are proposing this may end up costing for all the fines and replacement trees, to inconvenience strikers for like a day (because there are now tents there and people can prepare with umbrellas and such).

Rich people LOVE hoarding money and hate spending it, that's why the last out-of-touch-billionare disaster had Stockton Rush insisting carbon fiber in a submersible was *innovative* but buying an absolutely garbage grade of it.

Not to mention the public backlash against all of this. They've got people chanting for tree law mob justice (TREE LAW TREE LAW TREE LAW TREE LAW) when I think they thought (deludedly) the average person would just shrug it off or not even notice the trim. Trying to pretend the hack job is somehow all NORMAL when people do notice, saying it's a yearly thing they do.

I think there's some major "the risk I took was calculated, but MAN, am I bad at math," here.

#tree law #writers strike

[frydawolff]

In the criminal justice system, tree-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In Los Angeles, the dedicated City Controller who investigates these vicious felonies is a member of an elite squad known as the Tree Law Unit. These are their stories.

“'Trees are essential to providing Angelenos with significant environmental and public health benefits, especially during a heatwave,' Mejia said in a tweet. 'Public Works’ Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA) is responsible for maintaining the City’s 700,000+ trees in the public right-of-way.'”

He went on to say in a thread that 'code enforcement for street trees (including the pruning or removal of trees without a permit) is the responsibility of the StreetsLA Investigation and Enforcement Division. Violations can result in code enforcement citations.'"

#tree law #sag strike #wga strike #nbcuniversal

[zvaigzdelasas]

LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia revealed in a tweet Wednesday that no permit was pulled to trim the now-infamous Ficus trees outside of Universal’s Gate 8. He added in a thread that “The City of LA’s Urban Forestry Division (UFD) will coordinate w/ StreetsLA’s Investigation & Enforcement Division (IED) to confirm if this case warrants the issuance of an administrative citation or hearing. If issued, the administrative citation fee starts at $250.”

19 Jul 23

[gracefulfallen]

So, trimming trees isn’t the only thing Universal has done to prevent or deter picketers.

During strikes, there are very specific rules about where striking workers can and can’t picket. It helps make sure they aren’t accused of interfering with work, protecting both them and their rights to continue to picket. Part of this means that they picket in “designated picketing areas”.

Universal covered the sidewalks of the designated picketing areas, and refused to create a sidewalk alternative with a barrier. According to them, it was part of a multi year construction contract. Sure, Jan.

Two picketers have already been struck by cars.

Please donate to the Entertainment Community Fund, or any other strike fund if you can.

#sag aftra strike #writers strike

[jazz-penguin]

Poor mlvn shippers entered their treegate period.

#byler

[outcider]

treegate update

#tree gate #tree law #wga strike

[endreal]

Mixtape meme: alone in the woods

@southofsublime I was really confused about what was happening here but then I realized you'd somehow sent this request as a submission rather than an ask. Anyway, hello!

Hey Ho, On The Devil's Back, by Katzenjammer

Prologue, by Loreena McKennitt

Treegate, by Robyn Miller (from the Myst soundtrack)

Ruhe, by Schiller

Echo, by Talisk

#submission #Mixtape Monday #(belated)

[tatterdemallionsails]

No permits to trim those trees issued in the past THREE YEARS. Needless to say that none have been issued in the days before someone did that hack job on those ficus trees.

Yes, Universal, we DO believe you to be that petty.

#wga strike #sag aftra strike #wga strong #sag aftra strong